Point of View

The narrative is written from two distinct points of view, which emerge according to which time period the author intends to put in focus. In the prologue, as well as in the sections dealing with the period between the late 1920s and early 1940s, the narrative uses Vivian's first-person perspective. This is appropriate given that the “conceit”, or narrative premise, of these sections is that Vivian is sharing her life story with Molly as part of Molly's fulfillment of her assignment from American history. Meanwhile, in the more contemporary storyline (i.e. the story of Molly and Vivian’s relationship), the narrative switches to a limited third-person point-of view. At different times, the narrator is “in the head” of both Molly and Vivian, the two primary characters – in other words, the narrative perspective shifts between the experiences and perspectives of the two women. The point...